Caring for Copper
Whether coated with a finish or left unfinished, copper is easy to care for.
Unfinished Copper Care - Unfinished copper is easy to care for and gives great color and design flexibility. When new, copper is bright and shiny and closely resembles pink or rose gold. Over time, unfinished copper develops peach, then orange overtones before it settles into a warm brown patina. The time it takes to change depends upon length of time, weather conditions, frequency of wear, and skin chemistry. This natural change can be within days (those hot and humid summer days) to weeks (and possibly months). With natural skin oils, this finish can develop a sheen, giving additional warmth to the look of the jewelry. I consider unfinished copper as very flexible fashion-wise as the copper can be worn both bright and shiny or with its warm oxidized patina...or anywhere in between.
The bright shiny finish can be retained in three ways.
Rinse with an acidic salt solution. Nontoxic, environmentally friendly foods can be used to make an acidic salt solution that will quickly and easily remove all oxidation on copper. The easiest is to reach into the refridgerator and grab the bottle of ketchup (tomatoes are acidic and salt is used to give flavor). Ketchup is nice because is has a little consistency - simply pour some on a paper towel and clean your jewelry. Rinse with water, dry and wear. Personally, I keep a plastic covered cup next to my bathroom sink with vinegar that has lots of salt added to it (lemon Juice would work just as well). I simply drop my copper jewelry in, swirl for a few seconds, remove my jewelry, rinse and dry. If left to soak, the copper will remain bright and a matte finish will develop. This method is great for intricate work or chains as it cleans every nook and cranny with little effort on your part. On the "flip" side, over time, this solution will also remove any patina added to enhance your jewelry. Therefore, if your jewelry has an added patina, I don't recommend using this solution.
Clean with silver polish. Copper polishes contain abrasives that could create small scratches in your jewelry's finish. Some silver polishes also contain mild abrasives. Haggerty's Silver Foam has no abrasives and will efficiently clean your copper (or silver or brass) without any scratches to damage the finish. Simply use a small amount with warm water on a soft cloth or paper towel and clean until the oxidation is removed. Because rubbing is needed, it is more difficult to clean into all the nooks and crannies. It also does not remove added patinas. So this method is ideal for unfinished jewelry that has an added patina. Silver polish gives a brighter shine than the salt solution and also leaves a thin coating that somewhat retards the oxidation process - meaning that for the bright shiny look you may need to clean less often.
Rinse with an acidic salt solution, then clean with silver polish. For jewelry without an added patina, the acidic salt solution will quickly remove the oxidation from all the nooks and crannies of your jewelry. If you follow with a quick clean with the silver polish, you get the "brand new" shine and the thin oxidation retarding film with less effort than if you used silver polish alone. I once walked into a jewelry store and was asked if my necklace was rose gold - that's how great it looked.
Finished Copper Care - A finish significantly retards the copper oxidation process.
Lacquer Finish - Wash with a gentle soap solution, rinse, and dry.
Wax Finish - Vigorous use of soap or detergent will remove the wax finish. It is best to rinse with warm water and dry. If soap is required, use the least amount of gentle soap required to remove the soil.